I often write about finding the mystery, what I call God, on the hiking trail. It’s no wonder; there’s a distance from things of this world in the wilderness. There is a beauty that envelopes me as a journey through the woods or along a river bank or in an arid meadow.

The risk is that we begin to perceive beauty only faraway from home. When we do that, we begin to perceive the Divine as removed and separate from us. Yet, God is with us always.

God’s breath blows around us and we breathe in immeasurable love wherever we find ourselves. But too often we are distracted. Distracted, we fail to sense the One who connects us to each other and the whole of creation.

Overnight, following a light, late afternoon snow the fog rolled into the tiny, isolated town I call home. As the sun rose this morning the ice reminded me that beauty is as close as my backyard.

Mother God, May we always be reminded that the beauty of your love surrounds us wherever we may be. Amen.

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Tim Graves
Tim strives to share God’s extravagant love for all–no matter what & without strings.
Seeking to follow the lure of the Spirit, Tim writes about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in an era where Christianity has come to be associated with hatred and political wedge issues. “Heinous things have been said & done (& still are) in the name of the One who breathed in the Divine,” notes Tim, “but Jesus shows us that God loves extravagantly.”
Following the teachings and life of Jesus is about inclusion not exclusion. It is about compassion, grace, and admitting no one has all the answers. It is about responding lovingly to the best of our human ability. It is about people not institutions. It is about social justice. It is about caring for creation. It is about being who we were each created to be.
Tim is a former early childhood educator, a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, father of two adult children and their spouses, and a grandfather of two perfect babies.
The former pastor of the Condon United Church of Christ, Tim recently began serving the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Albany, Oregon. He writes from home, from the coffee shop, and wherever the trail leads him.